AirAsia has appointed a board for its planned Bahrain operation as it targets starting flights to the kingdom by March 2027, subject to regional conditions. Dr Serra Kirdar will chair the board, with Dato’ Fam Lee Ee as vice-chairman. The airline is positioning Bahrain as a hub linking its Asian network with the Middle East, Europe and Australia, but has not disclosed an initial route network or aircraft allocation.
The other non-executive directors are Dr Faisal Khalid Kanoo, Nawaf Al Zayani, Akram Safa, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim. The appointments follow a letter of intent between Capital A and Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications in November 2025, and AirAsia’s announcement in February 2026 that Bahrain would be its Middle East hub.
Capital A chief executive Tony Fernandes said regional geopolitical developments had required adjustments to the initial plans, while the company’s commitment remained. The March 2027 target is conditional; no firm launch date has been set.
Capital A also plans to develop maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities in Bahrain through Asia Digital Engineering, for AirAsia and other regional carriers. The proposed operation is intended to support local technical skills and employment. Logistics subsidiary Teleport has operated twice-weekly freighter services to Bahrain since February 2026 and is increasing capacity using larger freighters.